Wilderhoods: rewilding urban neighbourhoods presentation

Posted on 2 November, 2023 by Hadley Cole

Our friends at Maldon Urban Landcare Group (MULGA) are hosting a presentation by Dr. Cassia Read which will delve into a project she has been delivering across the Mount Alexander Shire on rewilding urban neighbourhoods. The event will follow the groups Annual General Meeting (AGM) and is on Saturday 11 November 2023, 10am at the Maldon Community Centre.

Dr. Cassia Read, plant ecologist, writer, educator and garden designer.

Cassia will be talking about Wilderhoods, an urban greening initiative of the Castlemaine Institute that empowers neighbours to work together to create thriving neighbourhoods for people and wildlife in a changing climate. Cassia will provide an overview of the Wilderhoods Process for neighbourhood engagement in habitat creation, and learnings from their pilots that ran in the West End and South Side neighbourhoods of Castlemaine in 2022 and 2023 respectively. Cassia Read is an ecologist, educator and garden designer, and is the Principal Ecologist and Co-Founder of the Castlemaine Institute. Wilderhoods has been developed with her colleague and fellow ecologist, Ada Nano. This is a wonderful opportunity to hear from Cassia on the actions that neighbourhoods can take to provide wildlife habitat in an urban environment.

When: Saturday 11 November 2023, 10.00am

Where: Maldon Community Centre, Francis St. Maldon VIC

Cost: Free

Contact: Bev Phillips, ph. 0407 770 350 or email maldonurbanlandcare@gmail.com for information.

No bookings required.

Robbed of its Glory: Conservation action for the Hooded Robin 

Posted on 31 October, 2023 by Anna

Three of our region’s beloved Feathered Five are now listed under the Federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. We have partnered with BirdLife Castlemaine District to deliver a series of blog posts describing these species, why they are threatened, and what we can do to support the conservation of these species into the future. In this blog post, we briefly summarise the conservation advice for the Hooded Robin (click here), the causes of its decline, and what you can do to help it. To read an insightful ‘Bird of the Month” about this species, written by our amazing partners at BirdLife Castlemaine District, click here.  

Habitat and threats: Hooded Robin (Melanodryas cucullata)

Hooded Robins occur in eucalypt and acacia woodlands and shrublands with an open understory, some grassy areas and a complex ground layer. They will use small patches of around 3 hectares but prefer larger patches of more than 10 hectares. Important habitat elements include mature eucalypts, saplings, some small shrubs and a ground layer of moderately tall native grasses. Trees and tree stumps are essential for nesting, roosting and foraging. They occur where there is deep to moderately deep soil, rocks, and fallen timber, which provides essential foraging habitat. The Robin hunts with a ‘perch and pounce’ technique – a bit like a kookaburra. This means they need multiple stumps and trees for perches and open grassy areas to pounce into. They eat insects, small lizards, and invertebrates. The species is typically found in pairs or small groups and is shy, and largely sedentary.

A pair of Hooded Robins (female lower) (photo by Geoff Park)

Key threats:  

• Habitat fragmentation and clearing, 
• Extreme events (wildfire, heatwave, and drought),  
• Overgrazing by domestic livestock,  
• Noisy Miner competition,  
• Invasive weeds,  
• Predation by cats and foxes,  
• Browsing pressure from rabbits and deer,  
• Firewood collection and ‘tidying’ of farmlands, and  
• Inappropriate fire regimes.  

This species is listed as ‘Endangered’. Its population has declined by > 50% in the last ten years. 

Some ways you can help Hooded Robins: 

• Retain native vegetation, particularly that with a diverse but variable structure, in order to maximise foraging opportunities. i.e. habitat needs perches and open areas for foraging  
• Undertake revegetation, focusing on connecting and expanding habitat and widening corridors. 
• Replace trees from where they have been removed.   
• Focus on productive lower parts of the landscapes, especially near streams. Aim for plantings of at least 50 m wide.  
• Promote connectivity and avoid habitat gaps of > 100 m. 
• Avoid intensive overgrazing in Hooded Robin habitat – aim to manage grazing to maintain or improve habitat. 
• Target invasive weeds.   
• Reduce edge habitat and plant a complex understory to deter Noisy Miners, which compete with this species.  
• Limit firewood collection and the removal of fallen timber.
• Provide water for birds and consider using water sources that hang to reduce predation from cats at bird baths.
• Keep cats inside – see the Safe Cat website for information on how to keep cats (and wildlife) safe.
   

The information above has been summarised from the government’s Conservation advice Melanodryas cucullata cucullata (hooded robin (south-eastern)) (environment.gov.au). 

Presenting our 2023 Annual Report: ready for download

Posted on 31 October, 2023 by Ivan

Connecting Country’s annual report 2023 is now available for you to catch up on our highlights from 2022-2023.  Along with brief updates from our President, Treasurer and Director, the report gives an overview of our work – spanning landscape restoration, community engagement, monitoring and Landcare support – with plenty of gorgeous pictures!

Our annual report is also another opportunity to say a huge thank you to our many valued funders, donors, volunteers and supporters in the community, and our hardworking staff and committee of management.

We hope you enjoy learning a little more about our work and achievements this past year, which has been busy, challenging and enjoyable!

To view the Connecting Country annual report 2023 as a document – click here
To view the Connecting Country annual report 2022 as a video (with sound!) – click below

Helping us deliver more habitat restoration!

By making a regular or once-off donation you will directly support habitat restoration in the Mount Alexander region of central Victoria, Australia.

Since 2009 we have worked with over 330 landholders and groups to do restoration works on over 13,000 hectares across our region, providing refuge for wildlife through planting of locally indigenous plant species, installation and monitoring of nestboxes, wildlife surveys and community education programs.

Connecting Country (Mount Alexander Region) Inc is a registered charity with deductible gift recipient (DGR) status.

All donations of $2 or more to Connecting Country are tax deductible.

Secure online payment by credit or debit card

Head to our secure online payment site by clicking below:

If you’re inspired to get more involved with Connecting Country please:

• Become a member (if you’re not already) – click here
• Support us with a donation – click here
• Consider volunteering with us
• Get in touch via email (info@connectingcountry.org.au) or phone (0493 362 347)

‘Surviving to thriving: Phascogale learnings’ with Dr Jess Lawton, and AGM 2023

Posted on 26 October, 2023 by Ivan

Please join us for this special free event on Saturday 18 November 2023 at 11.00 am for brief AGM formalities, our special guest presenter and a yummy lunch. We are thrilled to have Dr Jess Lawton, former Connecting Country superstar, present the findings from her recent PhD study into Phascogales and how we can take action to help them thrive once again.

The presentation event is part of a larger project, ‘Habitat trees for Phascogales’, which aims to provide habitat stepping stones for the Brush-tailed Phascogale and other native fauna by protecting and enhancing large old trees in the landscape, particularly in grazing land.

Dr Jess Lawton is an ecologist with a passion for understanding the threats facing native fauna and ecosystems, and how we can take action to address these issues. Jess was the Connecting Country Monitoring Coordinator for the past five years and is one of the leading knowledge brokers on citizen science and monitoring our landscapes and wildlife. Jess has recently submitted her PhD thesis at LaTrobe University, where she studied our wonderful Brush-Tailed Phascogale. She relishes collaborative ecological work and is passionate about empowering communities to conserve and recover local biodiversity. Jess loves exploring the outdoors, playing music and camping.

When: Saturday 18 November 2022 at 11.00 am

Where: Guildford Community Hall, 30 Fryers St Guildford

Everyone is welcome!

For catering and logistical purposes, please register your attendance – click here

AGM formalities

The following Connecting Country AGM 2023 documents are available for download:

• Committee nomination form – click here
• Proxy voting form – click here
• AGM 2022 minutes – click here
• Financial audit report – click here
• 2023 Annual Report – click here

Please note only current Connecting Country members can vote in the AGM. To become a member or renew your membership – click here

If you have any questions, please email info@connectingcountry.org.au

Thank you to the State Government of Victoria for their funding support and ‘Habitat Trees for Phascogales’ project.

Creeping towards extinction: Conservation action for the Brown Treecreeper

Posted on 24 October, 2023 by Anna

Three of our region’s beloved Feathered Five are now listed as threatened. We have partnered with BirdLife Castlemaine District to deliver a series of blog posts describing these species, why they are threatened, and what we can do to support the conservation of these species into the future. In this blog post, we briefly summarise the conservation advice for the Brown Treecreeper (click here), the causes of its decline, and what you can do to help it. To read an insightful blog post about this species, written by naturalist and nature writer (and our wonderful former monitoring and engagement coordinator), Tanya Loos, please click here.  

The Brown Treecreeper (Climacteris picumnus) is one of our Feathered Five, and also the flagship species for Birdlife Castlemaine District. 

The Brown Treecreeper typically occurs in woodland dominated by stringybarks or rough-barked trees, but also occurs in a number of other wooded habitat types. They usually occur in areas with an open, grassy understory, allowing them to forage near the ground and keep an eye out for predators. They mainly eat invertebrate prey, but also eat nectar and sap, and small lizards. They can be reasonably bold and are known to pinch food from the odd picnic as described in a recent Bird of the Month blog. They forage on the ground, in fallen timber, and on trees. They are usually in pairs or small family groups, and occupy permanent territories, nesting in tree hollows and stumps.  

The species is listed as Vulnerable as it has undergone a reduction in population size over the last 15 years.

Brown Treecreeper in the fading sun. Photo: Geoff Park.

Key threats include:  

• Habitat loss and fragmentation. 
• Habitat degradation caused by domestic livestock over-grazing. 
• Noisy miner competition. 
• Altered fire regimes. 
• Extreme events (wildfire, heatwave, and drought). 
• Firewood collection. 
• Nest hollow competition. 
• Overgrazing by rabbits and overabundant native species. 
• Predation by cats and foxes. 

Some ways you can help the Brown Treecreeper: 

• Retain woodland habitat.  
• Revegetate, with a focus on expanding and connecting habitat, and ensure ground cover is patchy, and includes open areas for foraging. 
• Insects are an important food source so plant local, insect-attracting plants. Reduce spraying of garden pests.
• Target productive areas of the landscape (such as alongside streams) and aim for riparian plantings to be at least 50m wide.  
• Avoid gaps of more than 100m between trees.  
• Prevent overgrazing, and manage grazing to maintain or improve habitat. Use low-input, fast rotational grazing with long periods of rest and short intensive grazing events.  
• Reduce edge habitat and plant a complex understory to deter Noisy Miners, which compete with this species. 
• Retain large old trees, including isolated paddock trees. 
• Keep it messy – retain leaf litter and woody debris, such as fallen logs. Avoid over-grazing and frequent fuel reduction burns.  
• Provide water for birds and consider using water sources that hang to reduce predation from cats at bird baths. 
• Keep cats inside – see the Safe Cat website for information on how to keep cats (and wildlife) safe. 

The information above has been summarised from the Federal Government’s conservation advice (click here) and advice from Birdlife Castlemaine District.

Brown Treecreeper creeping on the ground. Photo: CC archives.

Reminder: Shaking the shed for Connecting Country: Tuesday 24 and Wednesday 25 October 2023

Posted on 24 October, 2023 by Ivan

This week is our week fundraising at Shedshaker Brewing’s Keg for Good: Tuesday 24 and Wednesday 25 October 2023. Hopefully, we see a few of you there! 

How would you like to enjoy a tasty pale ale and support Connecting Country at the same time? Shedshaker Brewing’s Keg for Good is a new initiative aimed at providing local groups with a valuable fundraising opportunity, simply by having a beer!

Sales of the Frailty Pale Ale on the two designated nights are donated to a different group each month. So far, Shedshaker has donated money to Red Box Animal Shelter, Castlemaine Community House’s Food Pantry and Mount Alexander Animal Welfare (MAAW), with Connecting Country being the next recipient of the big fundraising opportunity.

Visit Shedshaker Brewing and support Connecting Country on Tuesday 24 and Wednesday 25 October 2023. We are hoping the sun is shining and the weather sweet and a few supporters can get down and enjoy a well-deserved beer!

Opened in April 2016 at the Mill complex in northern Castlemaine, the Taproom is open six days a week serving delicious beverages, yummy food, outstanding live music and beaucoup conviviality. A big thanks to Shedshaker for making this happen, we hope you can enjoy an ale for us and enjoy all that we both have to offer.

Shaking the shed for Connecting Country: help support us!

Posted on 19 October, 2023 by Ivan

We’ve got some good news! How would you like to enjoy a tasty pale ale and support Connecting Country at the same time? Shedshaker Brewing’s Keg for Good is a new initiative aimed at providing local groups with a valuable fundraising opportunity, simply by having a beer!

Sales of the Frailty Pale Ale on the two designated nights are donated to a different group each month. So far, Shedshaker has donated money to Red Box Animal Shelter, Castlemaine Community House’s Food Pantry and Mount Alexander Animal Welfare (MAAW), with Connecting Country being the next recipient of the big fundraising opportunity.

The dates to visit Shedshaker Brewing and support Connecting Country are Tuesday 24 and Wednesday 25 October 2023. We are hoping the sun is shining and the weather sweet and a few supporters can get down and enjoy a well-deserved beer!

Opened in April 2016 at the Mill complex in northern Castlemaine, the Taproom is open six days a week serving delicious beverages, yummy food, outstanding live music and beaucoup conviviality.A big thanks to Shedshaker for making this happen, we hope you can enjoy an ale for us and enjoy all that we both have to offer

The Hidden Life of Skinks with Dr. Anna Senior

Posted on 16 October, 2023 by Hadley Cole

Our friends at Newstead Landcare are holding their Annual General Meeting this coming Tuesday 17 October 2023 and to celebrate will host special guest Dr. Anna Senior who will present on The Hidden Life of Skinks.

So many small things make our world tick, all interacting and keeping ecology in balance. Often hidden under a rock or small plant, or darting between cover, skinks play a pivotal role in our natural systems, but we rarely get a glimpse into their lives. Local ecologist Dr. Anna Senior will present on the fascinating world of skinks with a special focus on two threatened species that were the subject of her thesis. One of these, the Mountain Skink was recently discovered in the Wombat Forest.

When: Tuesday 17 October, 7.30pm

Where: Newstead Community Centre, 9 Lyons Street, Newstead VIC

All are welcome to attend and gold coin donations are appreciated. No bookings required.

Mount Skink. Image by Gayle Osborne.

Aussie Bird Count week 16-22 October 2023 

Posted on 12 October, 2023 by Anna

Aussie Bird Count is Australia’s largest citizen science Project and is run by Birdlife Australia. Celebrate Bird Week 2023 and the tenth year of the Birdlife Australia’s Aussie Bird Count, by taking part! 

The 2023 event will run from October 16 to 22.  You can undertake as many bird counts as you like over this week long period. You can do this from your backyard, local park, or other favourite outdoor area.

To complete a count, all you need to do is spend 20 minutes in one spot, noting down the birds that you see. Binoculars will come in handy! If you can identify birds by their calls, please include these in your count, but if you aren’t sure of a bird without seeing it, please exclude it rather than making a guess. The Aussie Bird Count app has a handy field-guide to help you identify birds or you can visit the website (aussiebirdcount.org.au). 

Once you have completed your count, you can submit it to Birdlife in two different ways:  

Through the online web form (this form won’t be made live until the 10 October 2023)  

OR  

Via the free Aussie Bird Count phone app. 

Last year 77,419 volunteers recorded a whopping 3.9 million birds of 620 different species! The vast amount of data collected during the bird count is invaluable for ecologists to track large-scale biodiversity trends. It is a wonderful way to get to know your local birds and connect with nature.

Register today and help make the tenth Aussie Bird Count the biggest and best yet.

For more information and to register, head to aussiebirdcount.org.au  

If you’re lucky you might even come across some of the below birds. Can you identify each of these beauties?

Photos by Geoff Park and Damian Kelly.

A diamond in the rough: Conservation action for the Diamond Firetail 

Posted on 10 October, 2023 by Anna

Three of our region’s beloved Feathered Five are now listed under the Federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. We have partnered with Birdlife Castlemaine District to deliver a series of blog posts describing these species, why they are threatened, and what we can do to support the conservation of these species into the future. In this blog post, we briefly summarise the conservation advice for the Diamond Firetail (click here), the causes of its decline, and what you can do to help it. To read an insightful ‘Bird of the Month’ about this species, written by our amazing partners at Birdlife Castlemaine District, click here.  

Diamond Firetail – photo by Geoff Park

Habitat and threats 

The Diamond Firetail occurs primarily in lightly timbered habitats (including woodlands, open forest, and farmland) with relatively low tree density, few large logs, little litter cover and high grass cover. They live in flocks and roost in dense shrubs, and eat grass and herb seeds, Allocasuarina (she-oak) seeds, green leaves and insects.  This species’ population has declined by 30-50% over the last 10 years, and it is listed as ‘Vulnerable’. 

Photo by Geoff Park

Key threats:  

• Habitat loss from land clearing.  
• Invasive weeds, particularly exotic grasses.
• Habitat degradation caused by livestock and overabundant native animal grazing. 
• Competition with noisy miners. 
• Habitat degradation caused by rabbits. 
• Nest predation by pied currawongs. 
• Extreme events (wildfire, heatwave, and drought).
• Altered fire regimes – especially increased fire intensity. 

Some ways you can help Diamond Firetails: 

• Protect Diamond Firetail habitat and retain, expand and reconnect remnant patches. Patches > 50 m wide and areas near water are especially important. 
• Undertake revegetation, focusing on a diverse mix of locally appropriate native species, especially grasses for seed, and dense/prickly shrubs for shelter and nesting.  
• Instead of mowing, allow native grasses to go to seed.
• Retain mistletoe.
• Plant for insect diversity, reduce spraying of garden pests such as aphids. 
• Manage grazing to retain a diverse grass, forb and shrub layer. 
• Control weeds. 
• Provide water for birds and consider using water sources that hang to reduce predation from cats at bird baths.
• Keep cats inside – see the Safe Cat website for information on how to keep cats (and wildlife) safe.

 The information above has been summarised from the government’s Conservation advice Stagonopleura guttata (diamond firetail) and advice from Birdlife Castlemaine District.

Flock of Diamond Firetails enjoying a lovely bath in a puddle. Photo by Damian Kelly.

Unveiling the Feathered Five’s Fading Symphony

Posted on 3 October, 2023 by Ivan

Three of our region’s Feathered Five are now listed as threatened. We have partnered with Birdlife Castlemaine District to deliver a series of blog posts describing these species, why they are threatened, and what we can do to support the conservation of these species into the future.

Extinction is a modern issue

The word extinction may evoke thoughts of the Wooly Mammoth or the Dodo. But in Australia, extinction is very much a contemporary issue. Currently 39 Australian mammal, and 22 bird species, are extinct; a further 154 birds are threatened with extinction. There are very recent, examples of extinctions. The Christmas Island Pipistrelle, a native bat, was last recorded in 2009 and formally declared extinct in 2019. Australia has also recently experienced its first documented reptile extinction. The Christmas Island Forest Skink went from being abundant and common up until the late 1990s to officially declared extinct in 2017. The last one died in captivity in 2014 less than five months after Australian legislation finally listed the species as endangered.  Climate change represents a real and serious threat; the Bramble Cay Melomys, a bright-eyed native rodent, was declared extinct in 2014, likely due to rising sea levels impacting its island habitat. To date, there have been 100 extinctions in Australia since European colonisation (click here).

Our Famous (Feathered) Five… but for how long?

Just a few months ago, three of our beloved Feathered Five: the Diamond Firetail, the Hooded Robin (south-eastern), and the Brown Treecreeper (south-eastern), were listed under the Federal Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. This means that the birds are now protected under federal legislation, but the declines that lead to these listings raises concerns about the status of these species into the long term.

Male Hooded Robin along Mia Mia Track. Photo: Geoff Park

What can you do? Conservation action in the Mount Alexander area

When a species is listed as threatened under the EPBC Act, the Australian Government develops a conservation advice document. These are intended to guide recovery planning and identify actions required for conservation and recovery of the species. For detailed information, you can read the conservation advice on the Diamond Firetail (click here), Brown Treecreeper (click here), and Hooded Robin (click here).

We would be devastated if our beloved Feathered Five slipped away and are hopeful that the listing of these species prompts wider conservation action. The listing of these species has prompted our friends and project partners, Birdlife Castlemaine District, to hold a meeting and consider what local actions could be undertaken to preserve these species. Into the future, we will be working with Birdlife Castlemaine District to seek funding support for these species, and to continue to raise the profile of these important species and do our best to conserve them.

An adult Diamond Firetail resting in a gum tree, note the finch beak. Photo: Geoff Park

Birdlife Castlemaine District have proposed the following simple, practical actions that landholders can take to help protect these special birds:

• Plant and retain locally indigenous shrubs and native grasses, and – importantly – allow them to go to seed, to provide food for seed-eating birds. Many gardens in the area already have wallaby grass – rather than mowing them, let them go to seed. Indigenous seeds are available from the Castlemaine Seed Library for a select number of species.
• Insects are also an important food source for some of the Feathered Five species, so plant local, insect-attracting plants. Reduce spraying of garden pests such as aphids.
• Provide water for birds and consider using water sources that hang to reduce predation from cats at bird baths.

Keep cats inside – see the Safe Cat website for information on how to keep cats (and wildlife) safe.

Brown Treecreeper need a variety of native trees and shrubs to forage and nest. Photo Geoff Park

‘The urban garden in Box-Ironbark country’: FOBIF AGM 9 October 2023

Posted on 2 October, 2023 by Ivan

Our friends and project partners at Friends of the Box-Ironbark Forests (FOBIF) are having their AGM next Monday (9th October), featuring a talk by Dr Cassia Read on creating wildlife habitats in your garden. It is sure to be a great event and an important topic as we learn to co-exist with wildlife and create climate refuges around our homes and in our urban fringes. Please find the details below, provided by FOBIF.

FOBIF AGM: 9 October 2023

Our guest speaker at this year’s FOBIF Annual General Meeting will be Dr Cassia Read. Cassia is an ecologist, educator and garden designer, working at the intersection of biodiversity conservation and human wellbeing. She is Principal Ecologist and Co-Founder of the Castlemaine Institute and a FOBIF Committee member. She will be speaking on creating garden wildlife habitats.

The urban garden in Box-Ironbark country: Can you have your roses and fairywrens too?

Whatever your gardening style you can nudge your garden in a wildlife friendly direction. By adding habitat elements and designing for alignment between your needs and the needs of wildlife, you can create a stunning landscape that supports the remarkable creatures of Box Ironbark Country. Whether you prefer formal or wild gardens, cottage gardens or bush-blocks, by realising the potential of your garden oases you can be part of creating neighbourhood networks that will support people and biodiversity in a changing climate. This talk will provide you with know-how and inspiration about creating wildlife habitat, whether you’re starting from scratch or adding to an existing garden.

There will be a short formal AGM at 7.30 followed by Cassia’s talk. Supper will be provided and everyone is welcome. If you wish to nominate for the FOBIF committee, contact Bernard Slattery 0499 624 160. The meeting will be held in the Ray Bradfield Room, Victory Park, Castlemaine, with access from the IGA carpark or Mostyn Street.

Cassia in her Castlemaine garden.

FOBIF AGM: October 9, 2023

Farewell Jess Lawton: thanks for all the birds

Posted on 2 October, 2023 by Ivan

We recently said ‘goodbye’ to our much-loved Monitoring Coordinator, colleague and friend, Jess Lawton. Jess has been an incredible asset to Connecting Country over the past (nearly) four years. She has provided inspiration and dedication to the role and will be missed by the community, landowners and citizen scientists with whom she managed and shared her passion, vision and wisdom. Her commitment to the monitoring program was a juggling act, with Jess managing the bird monitoring program and also the nestbox program. Jess’s efforts have made a huge difference to the local landscape, citizen scientists and the broader community.

We wish Jess all the very best in her new role at the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (Federal Government) and are thrilled she will stay involved as a Connecting Country volunteer and supporter. Thanks also to all the landowners and volunteers who have supported Jess during this time. She will also give a talk at our upcoming AGM on her favourite topic, her deep love for the Brush-tailed phascogale. Stay tuned!

Photo: Jess and Jeremy in the rain, checking nest boxes. Connecting Country.

Jess at her volunteer thank you event. Photo: Lou Citroen

As one-star bird moves to another landscape, another arrives. We have been very fortunate to recruit a new Monitoring Coordinator – another local talent – Anna Senior. We welcome Anna with open arms and her talents from far and wide.

Introducing Anna

Anna is a terrestrial ecologist with experience working in environmental management for state government and private sectors throughout eastern Australia. She has a passion for the conservation of lesser-known species, particularly reptiles. Her PhD explored the conservation biology and ecology of some of Victoria’s rarest lizards; the Guthega skink, mountain skink and swamp skink. 

Anna lives in Castlemaine with her partner and enjoys tending her garden and looking after her ever-growing menagerie. Anna is based at Connecting Country on Mondays to Thursdays. 

Anna has been supporting various projects at Connecting Country over the past eighteen months and is the perfect fit for the role of Monitoring Coordinator.

We are super-excited to have Anna on board, please say hello to Anna via her email or touch base if you would like to volunteer for our monitoring program: anna@connectingcountry.org.au

Mapping large old trees: let’s celebrate and protect these beauties!

Posted on 28 September, 2023 by Ivan

It has been a little over a year since we announced the arrival of our new mapping portal, aimed at helping community citizen scientists map the old, and often large, trees of Central Victoria.

We have been excited to see the database entries feed in over the past 12 months and we have now reached 25 large old trees entered into the portal. The majority of the entries have been around the Maldon, Welshmans Reef, Chewton, Castlemaine and Guildford areas, with a variety of citizen scientists taking some excellent photos and providing data about the tree species, age, height and habitat values. A special mention must go to Bev Phillips from Maldon Urban Landcare Group (MULGA), who entered a whopping 15 trees into the database. Well done, and a massive thank you, Bev, for your persistence and love for our landscape.

We thought it would be timely to publish the photos entered into the mapping portal so far, to highlight the diverse range of large old trees across our landscape. Interestingly, all of the 25 entries are Eucalyptus species, which are usually the tallest trees in the local landscape. We would love to see some other species mapped and entered, such as the Casuarinas, Acacias, Banksias, Bursarias and other local midstory species.

Please enjoy the images below, captured by our keen citizen scientists over the past 12 months.

The interactive mapping portal is part of Connecting Country’s larger project, ‘Regenerate before it’s too late‘ , engaging the community in the importance of old trees and how to protect them.  Over the next two years (2024-2025), we will continue to host community workshops and develop engagement resources. We will also help local landholders with practical on-ground actions to protect their large old trees and ensure the next generation of large old trees across the landscape.

How to map and enter old trees in our mapping portal

We are asking the community, including landholders, Landcarers and land managers, to map their favourite old trees across our region. Anyone can access Connecting Country’s new online mapping portal. The portal uses BioCollect, an advanced but simple-to-use data collection tool developed by the Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) and its collaborators. BioCollect helps users collect field biodiversity data for their own projects, while allowing the data to be easily copied into the ALA, where it can be publicly available for others to use in research, policy and management. This allows individual projects to collectively contribute to science across Australia.

The mapping portal is now open for any community member to record the old trees in your area. You will need to register with the Atlas of Living Australia (its easy and free), then upload a photo and enter the field details needed for the survey. The portal will ask you simple questions about the tree location, size, species, age (if known), health status and habitat value.

To record your large old tree, or view the field survey questions and required measurements – click here

By recording large old trees, you will help build our understanding of the large old trees in our region and contribute to the largest biodiversity database in our country. As the database grows, you can also access the portal to learn about other wonderful large old trees in our area and view the photos.

We are most grateful to the generous project support from the Ian & Shirley Norman Foundation. The foundation aims ‘To encourage and support organisations that are capable of responding to social and ecological opportunities and challenges.’ To learn more about Ian & Shirley Norman Foundation – click here

Bird of the Month: Brown Treecreeper

Posted on 19 September, 2023 by Jess

Welcome to Bird of the month, a partnership between Connecting Country and BirdLife Castlemaine District. Each month we’re taking a close look at one special local bird species. We’re excited to join forces to deliver you a different bird each month, seasonally adjusted, and welcome suggestions from the community. We are blessed to have the brilliant Jane Rusden and Damian Kelly from BirdLife Castlemaine District writing about our next bird of the month, accompanied by Damian’s stunning photos.

Brown Treecreeper (Climacteris picumnus victoriae)

Pizza stealing Brown Treecreeper at Warburton’s Bridge Campground. Damian Kelly took this stunning portrait, despite losing some pizza to this cheeky thief.

Even homemade pizza is not a healthy addition to the Brown Treecreeper’s diet, but Damian Kelly was taken unaware as this little bird crept in and stole a bite with the skill and confidence of a seasoned food thief. Usually more wary, Brown Treecreepers are often seen disappearing around the back of a tree trunk or even hanging upside down on the underside of a branch as they forage for insects and spiders, their usual food source.

In spite of its name, the Brown Treecreeper can also be seen on the ground foraging for insects. Due to its very large tree-climbing feet, when on the ground this bird hops in a distinctive way, rather than walking. The anatomy of their unusual feet mean that when getting a drink from a birdbath, they reverse into the water. These feet are built for roosting on vertical surfaces as they sleep, quite hard to fathom how this is restful, but it works for this incredible bird!

The Brown Treecreeper usually feeds in pairs or small groups of 3-8 birds, foraging equally between the ground and trees. In human frequented places like picnic grounds and camp sites individuals will often come close to people. Like Damian with the pizza, I have had experiences locally with birds that have approached me and pinched bits of my food quite boldly!

The Brown Treecreeper is Australia’s largest treecreeper and its range extends all the way down the east coast from Cape York in Queensland and inland around to South Australia, generally preferring drier open woodlands.

As one of Connecting Country’s “Feathered Five” the Brown Treecreeper is a key indicator of the health of woodland fauna in our area and can often be seen and heard in our local woodland areas. Unfortunately in recent times populations of this species have been declining in various parts of its range due to land clearing, as well as changing fire regimes that reduce ground cover.

Generally this species is quite sedentary and banding studies have shown that almost 100% of re-captures have been less than 10km away from the original banding site. It is quite a long-lived species with some birds known to be at least 11 years old.

Nesting occurs in tree hollows, usually beneath the leaf canopy with a clutch size of 3 eggs. Sometimes a second clutch is raised in a season. Co-operative breeding has been recorded with additional helpers, usually males from the previous clutches, feeding the young.

Brown Treecreeper calling from the side of a tree trunk, Rise and Shine Reserve. Photo by Damian Kelly.

Spring is the perfect time to wander in our local reserves, parks and woodland areas looking for birds. Keep and ear and an eye out for the engaging Brown Treecreeper.

Find more information on Brown Treecreepers, including their calls, here.

Large old tree walk: with Uncle Rick Nelson

Posted on 13 September, 2023 by Ivan

Connecting Country is thrilled to announce we are teaming up with Nalderun Education Aboriginal Corporation to deliver a cultural walk through the majestic large old trees at Castlemaine Diggings National Heritage Park in Golden Point, VIC. Come along and learn about these centuries-old trees, their cultural importance to the Dja Dja Wurrung people and the important role they play for biodiversity.

Our very special guest speaker is Dja Dja Wurrung Elder, Uncle Rick Nelson. He is a cultural advisor for the community on various matters for the Dja Dja Wurrung.  Uncle Rick will take us on a guided walk, showing us some of the large old trees that sit quietly in our landscape and sharing their cultural significance.  We are super excited to have his knowledge for this experience.

This is a free event for limited numbers, with lunch provided, so please book early to avoid disappointment.

The cultural walk is part of Connecting Country’s larger project, ‘Regenerate before it’s too late‘ aimed at engaging with the community about the importance of old trees and how to protect them. Over the next two years, we will develop engagement resources such as the old tree mapping portal, community events and an educational video. We will also help local landholders with practical on-ground actions to protect their large old trees and ensure the next generation of large old trees across the landscape.

• Click here to book, tickets are limited, so get in quick.

We are most grateful for our generous project support from the Ian & Shirley Norman Foundation. The foundation aims ‘To encourage and support organisations that are capable of responding to social and ecological opportunities and challenges.’ To learn more about Ian & Shirley Norman Foundation – click here

Learn more about Nalderun: Click here

Calling all nature lovers: iNaturalist workshop Friday 6 October

Posted on 13 September, 2023 by Ivan

It’s here! We are excited to present our much-anticipated workshop on how to use and benefit from the iNaturalist biodiversity platform. As part of ‘The Buzz project: promoting pollinators of Central Victoria’, Connecting Country is hosting an iNaturalist workshop on Friday 6 October 2023 in Castlemaine, VIC. Local naturalist and Castlemaine Field Naturalist Club member Euan Moore will hold the workshop and will cover a range of skills including;

• How to set up an iNaturalist account and profile
• How to upload photos to iNaturalist 
• How to reach out to naturalists and scientists on iNaturalist to confirm, verify or identify your sightings

iNaturalist is a wonderful online platform that allows all curious citizen scientists to record sightings and identify all kinds of species including, insects, birds, mammals, reptiles, plants, sea life, coral, and fungi. Species that are identified and verified are added to a sweep of data that is collected and recorded not only on iNaturalist but also to the Atlas of Living Australia. Recording data is vital in conservation management. If we know what is out there then we can make the best decisions on how to restore and protect biodiversity across the country!

iNaturalist is a nonprofit social network of naturalists, citizen scientists, and biologists built on the concept of mapping and sharing observations of biodiversity.

Walking Together – Cultural Literacy

Posted on 11 September, 2023 by Ivan

Please enjoy this wonderful article from our friends and project partners at Nalderun. The article was written by Floria Maschek, an ally and member of Friends of Nalderun (FoN). Nalderun is a Dja Dja Wurrung word meaning “all together”.

Walking together – cultural literacy

I gaze across the historic Monster Meeting site by Forest Creek in Chewton, the view to the creek unbroken. Now a bumpy, grassy landscape, I imagine what was once likely a forest, once likely sheep trodden paddocks, and once a tortured ‘honeycombed’ ‘moonscape’. New plantings are growing along the water’s edge where it curves away. Many know this area as ‘upside down country’, a reference to the gold diggings. A digger’s flag flaps noisily in rainy gusts, marking a place and time, an important rebellion that shaped Australian democracy, a triumph …but this place speaks about more…

Here is a merging of histories, futures, the present; those of the First Peoples, the squatters, the digger’s, those after, here now and to come. Standing between the mountains I know as Liyanganuk Banyul, Dharrang Gauwa, Lalkambuk, Gurutjang, I’m conscious of a teaching as ancient as local volcanic rumblings. Country is always connected to all points of time. I wander and wonder in Djaara Country – Djandak.

A sign drew me here – wood, metal, laminate. ‘Womin-dji-ka’ is written in large, friendly lettering. Commonly interpreted as ‘welcome’, a more literal translation is ‘to come – (an instruction of) I am asking you to come – purpose’. Included are further words in Dja Dja Wurrung (‘Wurrung’ – speaking/language/ tongue). The new sign, with its old pictures and ancient words, is a sign of living culture and change. A QR code links me to a video of a traditional Welcome to Country.

This continent is home to more than 250 Traditional First Nations languages and about 800 dialects. Indigenous languages were banned, lost through many violent and systemic acts of colonisation. Increasingly traditional languages, knowledge and culture are embraced. First People are rediscovering and sharing their heritage. There are nuances to the term ‘literacy’. Cultural literacy means that we better understand beautiful and complex traditional systems, empowered by orality.

From story, song, local seasons, life cycles, soil, fire practices, to kinship, art, the reading of the stars and the spaces between…Everything can be read with diverse ways of knowing.

Ngunnawal, Wiradjuri and Kamilaroi artist and activist Lynnice Church says

‘Language is part of our songlines, stories, spirituality, law, culture, identity and connection. Language transfers important knowledge passed down from our Ancestors and Elders that guides us.’

Indigenous Literacy Day is on September 6th. When I first considered literacy as a topic, I felt uncomfortable for reasons not yet entirely clear to me. Discomfort had something to tell me. As I listened, it slowly dissolved.

I once heard Aunty Julie McHale give a teaching. Not just a story – as was made very clear by this much respected Elder. It had survived since little Lalkambuk was a fiery active volcano. Importantly, I learnt that teachings are told in a way that is relational to the listener. Everything I’ve learned about First Nations cultures shows they are deeply adaptive and relational. It is not without reason that they are the oldest continuous cultures on earth.

The QR code is a modern portal for sharing cultural traditions. New technologies are often embraced with ingenuity by First Peoples as they share in their cultural ways. I am learning about the complexities of language sharing at an interesting time.

First Nations communities can more freely explore and restore language and culture now, but this process of restoration is a sensitive, gradual one. Respect means we honour these processes by embracing First Peoples agency, listening carefully, particularly to local Elders. As respect grows, so too will our cultural literacy. As we better read and look after Country, it is better able to sustain all who walk here.

I am learning from First Nations educators, importantly Djaara. Special mention to Harley Dunnoly-Lee, Djaara Elders and non First Nations people living locally – Lynne Kelly and Vic Say.

To learn more:

Djaara – learn more about Dja Dja Wurrung, the Djaara and Djandak: Click Here

Boorp Boorp Boondyil

A permanent, award winning, interactive exhibition produced by Djaara Elder Uncle Rick Nelson continuing the legacy of his late father Elder Uncle Brien Nelson. Mount Alexander Shire Council, and SharingStories Foundation, Nalderun Education Aboriginal Corporation and St. Peters Primary School were essential partners. Castlemaine Visitor Centre.

Floria Maschek is an ally and member of Friends of Nalderun (FoN). FoN members are guided by Nalderun Education Aboriginal Corporation and are diverse individuals and representatives of many local community networks, supporting Nalderuns visions and work. Nalderun Education Aboriginal Corporation supports the Aboriginal Community and is led by Aboriginal people while providing many learning and cultural opportunities to the broader community. Nalderun is a Dja Dja Wurrung word meaning “all together”.

More information can be found at www.nalderun.net.au

Caring for old paddock trees: best practice

Posted on 11 September, 2023 by Ivan

Why protect paddock trees?

Paddock trees are often the oldest and most valuable habitat elements in agricultural landscapes. When paddock trees are cleared, it takes generations to replace the habitat they provided, including the insects and abundant nectar for birds and mammals, thick bark with cracks and crevices for microbats and small reptiles, and hollows for many significant species.

Paddock trees provide great habitat for travelling birds and wildlife between larger tracts of habitat. Photo: CC

Even standing dead trees, fallen branches and leaf litter offer valuable resources and should be retained wherever possible. Many paddock trees across our region are suffering die-back caused by old age, pests and disease, nutrient loading, soil compaction and lack of protection from intensive agricultural practices. These valuable giants are disappearing from our farming landscapes, often with no younger trees to replace them. However, we can take action to protect paddock trees to extend their life, and establish future generations.

How do we protect paddock trees?

• Fence off paddock trees from stock and machinery where possible, including space around them to promote natural regeneration.
• Incorporate existing paddock trees into revegetation plantings to improve the health of paddock trees and habitat value of revegetation.
• Leave dead paddock trees standing if possible – they contain cracks, crevices and hollows for wildlife such as microbats, and perching sites for birds of prey, parrots and water birds.
• Install stock-proof guards around young trees within paddocks if fencing is not feasible.
• Reduce grazing pressure: When native vegetation is browsed heavily, plants struggle to flower or set seed, and they have less habitat value. Grazing pressure also creates soil compaction and increased nutrient loads from manure.

A magnificent large Yellow Box (Eucalyptus melliodora) with young, successional trees growing in a fenced off area. Photo: CC

The importance of remnant vegetation

As most of our region was cleared for mining, timber and agriculture, any remaining native vegetation is extremely valuable for wildlife habitat and provides many on-farm benefits. Remnant vegetation is essentially indigenous plants growing in their natural environment. Protecting bush with lots of plant species and a complex structure is the highest priority. However, even a single large old tree, or a patch of native grasses or shrubs is worth protecting.

Revegetation is a valuable tool to increase species diversity, and expand or reconnect existing patches of bush to provide habitat for wildlife. However, the process of reestablishing high quality habitat in cleared areas is very labour-intensive and slow.

Large trees can take hundreds of years to grow and develop the tree hollows and create the fallen timber essential for many local wildlife species. Leaf litter can take decades to rebuild. Soil conditions in disturbed areas often favour weedy grass growth or inhibit growth of native plants, and some plant species are difficult to source or are unavailable.

Revegetation of degraded woodlands with understory plants. Photo: Gen Kay

Protecting what native vegetation is already there, and providing the conditions for it to regenerate naturally, is much cheaper and easier than re-establishing it from scratch. Eucalypts and other plants often self-seed, and if protected from grazing animals and weed competition, can start to establish. It is far easier to protect areas of seedlings with plant guards or fencing than investing in the planning, site preparation, planting, and ongoing maintenance of revegetation.

And finally……leave rocks, logs, branches and leaf litter

Leave logs on the ground to provide important resources for fungi, insects, reptiles, frogs, birds and small mammals. Clearing up rocks, logs, branches and leaves will exclude many woodland animals by removing the habitat elements they depend on. It will create a simple habitat and favour animals that are already common in our towns and farms, like magpies, cockatoos, rabbits, foxes and hares.

The gorgeous Spotted pardalote (Pardalotus punctatus) searching for insects in the leaf litter and dead branches. Photo: Geoff Park

We all want to protect our properties from bushfire.  However, make sure you check the latest research and guidelines on fire hazard reduction. Some historical practices are now considered ineffective for fire control but highly damaging for the environment. For example, removing leaf litter creates bare ground which often encourages weed growth, creating its own fire hazard. If you do need to remove logs and branches for safety or access, consider moving them to another location where they can continue to provide habitat.

This factsheet is part of a larger project called ‘Regenerate before it’s too late‘ that engages the community about the importance of old trees and how to protect them.  We are most grateful for the generous project support from the Ian & Shirley Norman Foundation .  The foundation aims ‘To encourage and support organisations that are capable of responding to social and ecological opportunities and challenges.’ To learn more about Ian & Shirley Norman Foundation – click here

National Threatened Species Day 2023: Central Victoria’s Ballantinia

Posted on 7 September, 2023 by Hadley Cole

National Threatened Species Day on 7 September each year aims to raise awareness of plants and animals vulnerable to extinction across Australia. According to Nature Conservancy Australia, we have 100 endemic Australian species that have been declared extinct as of March 2021.

Threatened Species Day offers a moment to pause and reflect on how we can conserve and protect Australia’s vulnerable and often unique species from becoming extinct. Many of Australia’s threatened species have become so due to human activity such as land clearing, the introduction of non-native pest and weed species and climate change which has lead to the fragmentation of native species populations. Often the solution to protecting threatened species is through human intervention in the conservation, restoration and enhancement of habitat and biodiversity.

Ballantinia antipoda is a tiny annual plant growing among moss. Photo by Aaron Grinter.

Sadly, in Central Victoria we have numerous threatened species including flora and fauna.  A lesser known but precious endemic threatened species in the region is Ballantinia antipoda or Southern Shephard’s  Purse.  Ballantinia is a tiny annual brassica, less than 5cm tall, with striking delicate white flowers.  It has a very limited habitat range across the highest points of Leanganook (Mount Alexander).

Ballantinia was endemic to south-eastern Australia, being found through parts of Victoria and Tasmania. Around the 1800s, it started disappearing and was presumed extinct for most of the 20th century until it was rediscovered at Leanganook (Mount Alexander) in 1983.  With much of the wider environment heavily modified for development and agriculture and invaded by weeds, the plant found refuge by growing in delicate moss mats on granite outcrops on the mountain. Surveys across the species’ historic range have failed to locate Ballantinia at other sites, and so it is believed that the only surviving population of the species is on Leanganook (Mount Alexander). Accordingly, its status is extinct in Tasmania, and critically endangered in Victoria.

In order to continue to preserve the species, annual surveys are undertaken to locate these refuges and note their condition, including current threats.  In late August 2023 volunteers from across the Mount Alexander region joined Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action’s Natural Environment Programs Officer, Aaron Grinter, to survey for Ballantinia across Leanganook (Mount Alexander).

Aaron reported that” the survey was attended by 15+ volunteers including Harcourt Valley Landcare and Metcalfe and Sutton Grange Landcare groups, as well as Parks Victoria field staff, Threatened Species Conservancy, Bendigo TAFE, Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria, and Connecting Country. All recently recorded population patches were surveyed except 1 due to time constraints. The plant was absent in 3 of the 8 remaining areas, and, where it was found, it was in significantly reduced numbers. One of the most important sites in particular that has previously recorded more than 1000 plants, only recorded 65. While climatic variation between warmer and cooler seasons is expected, a warming climate poses a significant threat to the species.

Volunteers survey for Ballantinia antipoda at Leanganook (Mount Alexander). Photo by Aaron Grinter.

As Ballantinia is a cool climate annual, it germinates at 14 degrees Celsius,  so we speculate that because of this warm, short winter, it hasn’t has the opportunity to fully sprout, which means the seed bank is not being sufficiently replenished. Royal Botanic Gardens Victoria have collected seed from the Ballantinia population in the past and have successful grown plants in a controlled environment. They will be returning next month to collect seed to bolster diversity in the population they have grown at the Royal Botanic Gardens.”

Thank you to Aaron Grinter, Natural Environment Program Officer at DEECA for the information and photos for this article.